The Talking Pictures Podcast
by Todd Mizener
Photojournalism on the radio...sort of. The photography centric podcast is hosted by veteran photojournalist Todd Mizener with help from fellow photogs Todd Welvaert and Meg McLaughlin. Our goal is to both entertain and inform with our personal experiences or via interviews with a wide variety of guests. Mizener is the former Director of Photography for the Dispatch/Argus, a mid-sized daily newspaper, located in western Illinois along the banks of the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill. He is currently the Marketing & Communications Director for the D/A and Quad-City Times. We all get asked questions about our jobs and the podcast lets us answer some of those questions. It also affords us the opportunity to connect with readers, aspiring photographers, and learn a thing or two from our guests. The podcast is also an extension of our historically strong intern teaching program. Please email your questions and/or topic suggestions to [email protected] and don’t forget to tune e
Episodes
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The Lost Episode with Andy Abeyta
Visual journalist Andy Abeyta sat down with me way back in September 2019 just before leaving the Quad-Cities to start a new job a the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Yes, I know it's been 9-months since we've posted an episode. Well here is the lost episode with Andy, hopefully there are more to come in…
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Tim Hynds - Beer columnist and photojournalist
Our guest is Tim Hynds, the visuals editor of the Sioux City Journal, in Sioux City, Iowa. Tim is also a the newspaper's beer columnist. His column started in 2017 and has chronicled the rise of the craft beer industry in both Iowa and around the country. If you like beer and photojournalism,...
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Dave Marran, election night pizza and surviving journalism
Dave Marran, the retired sports editor of the Kenosha News and my old high school friend, talk about his successful and happy life after journalism. We also talk about the importance of adapting to the changing face of journalism. Usually, we stick to our guests being photographers, or the topic...
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Photojournalism legend Phil Greer
This week's episode is a master's class with photojournalism legend Phil Greer. He is currently the Photojournalist in Residence and Senior Lecturer for Southern Illinois University's School of Journalism. Phil tells great story after great story while preaching the gospel of photojournalism.…
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Change is Good
We're back and things get personal in this edition of the podcast. Todd M fired up the basement studio to thank listeners for sticking with the podcast, despite the long hiatus, and share his emotional story of change.
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A first time for everything
The team has recently experienced some milestone firsts but none bigger than Jess enduring her first mid-western snowstorm. She hails from Alabama and needless to say she is currently experiencing a little bit of climate-shock. Photographically speaking we talk about Meg and Jess successfully...
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The Pain of Suicide
Jess and Todd sit down with veteran reporter Jonathan Turner to talk about his recent series of articles on the suicide epidemic. The series featured Todd's collection of black and white portraits titled: "Left Behind - The Pain of Suicide still haunts these loved ones."
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Photojournalist Brian Powers
In this week's episode Brian Powers, of the Des Moines Register, talks to us from his mobile newsroom outside the Iowa State Fair. Brian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University, talks to Todd and Jessica about some of his recent projects which includes a powerful series of video interviews...
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Introducing Jessica Gallagher
This week's podcast introduces the newest member of our team - Jessicia Gallagher. The 23-year-old old ginger haired photojournalist comes to us from Georgia, by way of Alabama and seven other states. She brings a fresh new perspective to the podcast and we think "y'all" will really like hearing...
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Photography and Beer
We are back!!!! Todd and Todd get out of the normal studio and tape a late night podcast this week. Some of the topics include - beer, Belgian lawn games, how to avoid setting a high school athlete on fire, flop sweat, white backgrounds are all not created equal, B&W photography in…
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Gone with a tip of his cap
We are back after our three month hiatus. Thank you for sticking with the Talking Pictures Podcast we really appreciate it. If you are a regular listener you already know we moved to new offices in late Decemeber 2017. The combination of getting situated in our new digs and a busy high school...
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Max-imum portraits
We apologize for the delay in posting a new episode. We have been busy moving to our new offices but before we moved out we recorded one last episode in our old photo studio before moving to our new offices. Max Gersh, of The Villages Daily Sun photographer, calls into the show to talk about his...
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Thanks for the 1720 memories
The real estate listing for our soon to be former home at 1720 5th Avenue in Moline reads as follows; "Current Daily Dispatch Property. Now available for purchase. Over 53,000 SF of office and warehouse space……Will be vacated within the next 120 days.’ Well those 120 days are just about up, so we...
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He broke the internet and survived
Our guest this week is Kyle Grantham, the National Press Photographers Association clip contest chairman. In addition to giving us an inside look at the monthly clip contest, Kyle weaves some great stories from his days as a photojournalist in Delaware, Indiana and Wyoming. Tune into the podcast...
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Betty Sample - My Old Friend
During the course of your career you come across those unique characters on assignment that just stick with you. 100-year-old Betty Sample is one of those people for me (Todd M). This week’s podcast is about Betty and the portrait I shot for her 100th birthday. The portrait will be posted on the...
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Tintype: Better photography through chemistry
Todd Welvaert returns to his co-host seat to talk about his new photographic passion - tintype photography. The early form of photography dates back to 1853. Todd talks about how a great deal at a priest's estate auction and his desire to try something new, albeit old, very old, has turned into a...
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Hurricanes and Riots
In a recent Facebook post former Dispatch/Argus reporter, Brian Krans, wrote: “To any journalist friends who are covering Hurricane Harvey: one, remember your stay in a hotel room makes one less for evacuees. Two, go into counseling immediately after your assignment is done. You're going to see...
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Solar Eclipse....totally stoked
Alan Sheidler, the President of the Quad-Cities' Popular Astronomy Club, is excited about witnessing his first total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017. Before leaving for Columbia, Missouri he was kind enough to chat about photographing and witnessing the eclipse.
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Intern Take Over
The summer is coming to a close and our interns are going back to school soon. Before they head back to campus we wanted to sit down for a chat with reporter interns Hannah Rodriguez, Luke Cummings, Jessica Moon and photo intern Nate Manley. They were one of the best crop of interns we have ever...
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Pardon Our Interruption
This week’s episode is an quick status update on the podcast and an explanation for our unexpected hiatus. Rest assured the podcast isn’t going anywhere and we have some new episodes in the works.
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Instagram, Selfies and Likes, Oh My
Instagram and Twitter have become key components to lives of both photojournalists and teenagers. Inspired by This American Life podcast's episode #573: Status Update, we explore the use of Instagram and how the world sees us and how we see the world. Are we any different than the teenage girls...
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The big switch - Nikon vs. Sony
Nikon or Canon? Nikon or Sony? Sony or Fuji? Talking Pictures Podcast co-host Paul Colletti recently had to answer the difficult question of what camera system buy. After over 8-years with the Dispatch/Argus Paul is moving on to start his own photography business. Rest assured Paul isn't leaving...
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Pet photography for a cause
John Wangelin is a pet photographer with a big heart. John sits down with us to discuss a variety of topics including his 2017 pet calendar to benefit a local animal shelter. The John Deere painter has turned his love of dogs and his passion for photography into a side business which helps…
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'That Tree' Photographer: Mark Hirsch
The incomparable Mark Hirsch sits down with us to his discuss his book "That Tree : An iPhone Photo Journal Documenting a Year in the Life of a Lonely Bur Oak ” and his experience as a Quad City Arts Visiting Artist. Mark’s journey to “That Tree” and beyond is both fascinating and inspirational.
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The airing of grievances
This week's episode was sparked by an anonymous complaint that our Pacesetter (athlete of the week) photos of female athletes make them look like "pin-up girls". We wholeheartedly disagree with the reader's thesis and discuss how each of our photographers approaches shooting Pacesetter images. We...
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The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
We chat with Chicago freelancer Ting Shen about his quest for the perfect camera strap, shooting NBA basketball and his experience covering the Dallas police shootings. On July 7, 2016 four Dallas police officers and one DART officer were gunned down on the streets of Dallas, Texas. Ting, who was...
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From the land of sky blue waters
Former Chicago Sun-Times photojournalist and current Media Specialist, University Photographer, Adjunct Instructor for the University of Wisconsin - Stout, Brett Roseman, makes his long awaited debut on the podcast. Brett, a former Dispatch/Argus intern and Quad-Cities native, talks about the...
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Our gadget geek out
If you are a photo gadget geek like us you’ll love this week’s episode. We talk about our new gear and why we think you should know about these items. Paul Colletti makes a return to the podcast to talk about the new Sony a99ii along with the Sigma f1.4. Todd Welvaert just purchased a Fuji Xt2…
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Returning to the scene of the crime
The hosts true crime podcast "Suspect Convictions", journalist Scott Reeder and WVIK producer Lacy Scarmana, talk about their new podcast which revisits the 1990 murder of Jennifer Lewis and the case against Stanley Liggins. Stanley Liggins has been twice convicted for the murder, but both...
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Cubs Win!! Photographing history with Brian Cassella
Chicago Tribune photojournalist Brian Cassella talks about covering the Chicago Cubs historic playoff run and scoring the iconic front page image of the team celebrating the final out of the World Series. Cassella also explains how the Trib’s team of photographers and editors used the latest…
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The Twitter storm
It was a week that started with a fatal fire and ended with 6 high school football players taking a knee during the National Anthem. Our photos from both events garnered reaction on Twitter. In this week’s edition of the Talking Pictures Podcast we talk about what makes people react passionately…
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Kimmell comes home
Tom Kimmell, one of the paper’s most decorated photographer alumnus returns home for his 40th class reunion and sits down for a chat with Todd and Gary. He worked for The Daily Dispatch from 1980 to 1983 before moving to Colorado where he was as a member of a Pulitzer Prize winning team at The...
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Rain delay theater from John Deere Classic
We took the podcast on the road to the John Deere Classic golf tournament and recorded this episode during a rain delay. Our special guest for the second-half of the episode is award winning photojournalist John Schultz. Tune in and see what the photographers talk about when the rain comes down…
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A Trump tale in two acts
This week's podcast revolves around our coverage of Donald Trump's first campaign stop in Davenport since accepting the Republican nomination for the presidency. Part 1 - Todd takes the podcast to the streets and interviews a cross section of the people who attended the Trump rally. Part 2 - Meg...
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Nikon D500 review
We have been waiting for months to get our hands on the new Nikon D500. Meg jumped into the deep end of the pool and bought one as soon as it was released. Here is our (her) review of her new favorite storytelling tool.
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Listening Matters: Reporting on tragedy in the Black community
In this week’s episode of the Talking Pictures Podcast we talk to former Dispatch/Argus reporter, and local African American leader, Brandy Donaldson, about media responsibility when covering tragedy in the black community. We taped this episode the day after the ambush killings of Police…
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Oh Steve, you broke our hearts
Todd Welvaert and Paul Colletti return to the podcast to discuss the scandal surrounding famous photographer Steve McCurry his altered images. Steve McCurry is world renowned for his National Geographic cover - 'Afghan Girl’. The three of us had admired McCurry for years so we disappointed to…
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The man with seven hats
He says that he is an accidental editor but native Iowa photojournalist Scott Norris is a born leader. 15-years ago Norris left his home state of Iowa to work for Gannett’s original flagship paper, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, in upstate New York as the assistant photo editor. 800 miles...
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Free cake and 12-year-old scotch
After 23-years at the Dispatch/Argus co-host Todd Welvaert is retiring from the daily grind of newspaper work. Long-time podcast listeners don't worry, he'll still be doing the podcast. ToddW is a born storyteller so sit back and enjoy the show. We also introduce the newest member of the team,...
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Funniest story ever
Paul Colletti makes his return to the podcast to talk about sports photography and his budding freelance career. Gary Krambeck, 40-year-veteran of the Dispatch/Argus photo dept. makes his debut on the podcast and tells the funniest story ever about being a photojournalist in the days of flashbulbs.
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When the circus came to Iowa
In this week's podcast we discuss the challenges of photographing the Iowa Caucuses with Des Moines Register photographers Zach Boyden-Homes, Michael Zamora, Kelsey Kremer and Brian Powers. They chased Presidential hopefuls from the Iowa State Fair's Butter Cow, to little coffee shops, hotel...
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Super Bowl bound photo editor
This week’s guest on the Talking Pictures Podcast is Denver Post photo editor Patrick Traylor. Pat is a native of Rock Island, Illinois and a former Dispatch/Argus photo intern. We talk about editing photos of the Super Bowl bound Denver Broncos and his career path from Rock Island High School to...
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Cold hands, warm podcast
It's cold outside and we are inside discussing the never ending photographer quandary - what gloves to where when you shoot under cold conditions? Todd and Todd also discuss Nikon's release of the much anticipated D5 and D500 and other topics.
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Cows are people too and other stories
This week’s episode is a mixed bag of reader complaints and how we dealt with them. Every photojournalist has taken a phone call or received an email complaining about a photo they have taken. Some of the complaints are legitimate but some times they border on the absurd. In this week’s podcast…
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Tim Tai: At the center of the storm
The Talking Pictures podcast talks with University of Missouri photojournalist and student Tim Tai, who, while trying to cover a student protest on campus for ESPN, found himself embroiled in a heated debate about press freedom and public privacy while surrounded by angry, pushing protesters. The...
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Pasties and fur make for a great first day
A two-part episode built around a big surprise and a wild first day on the job for Meg. In part one we surprise young Meg with a chance of a lifetime and in part-two she discusses how to shoot a raunchy burlesque show when your editor accidentally sends you to a raunchy burlesque show.
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107-years in the making
The highs and lows of producing a multimedia project about Die Hard Cubs Fans, some of which are over a 100-years-old and hard of hearing. Our thumbnail photo for this week's podcast features Mick Nelsen, 76, East Moline, Ill. who surprised us with his excellent rendition of the 1969 Chicago Cubs...
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Out of Africa with Nick Loomis
Western Africa based freelance multimedia journalist Nick Loomis sits down with us to talk about living and working in Africa and Haiti. Nick is native of Davenport, Iowa and one of our favorite Dispatch/Argus photo dept. alumni. Nick is back in the United States for his annual visit and resupply...
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A legendary night in Iowa City
It was an emotional night for everyone in Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City when former player Brett Greenwood, who doctors thought would never walk again, led the Hawkeyes out of the tunnel on Saturday Sept. 19, 2015. Greenwood is currently recovering from serious neurological injuries following his...
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Live from the Shanty Boat
We take the podcast on the road (technically the river) to talk with artist, historian and shanty boat captain, Wes Modes. Wes and his dog Hazel, recently docked their shanty boat in the Quad-Cities to collect stories for his project 'A Secret History of American River People'. "Secret History is…
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About this show
Photojournalism on the radio...sort of. The photography centric podcast is hosted by veteran photojournalist Todd Mizener with help from fellow photogs Todd Welvaert and Meg McLaughlin. Our goal is to both entertain and inform with our personal experiences or via interviews with a wide variety of guests. Mizener is the former Director of Photography for the Dispatch/Argus, a mid-sized daily newspaper, located in western Illinois along the banks of the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill. He is currently the Marketing & Communications Director for the D/A and Quad-City Times. We all get asked questions about our jobs and the podcast lets us answer some of those questions. It also affords us the opportunity to connect with readers, aspiring photographers, and learn a thing or two from our guests. The podcast is also an extension of our historically strong intern teaching program. Please email your questions and/or topic suggestions to [email protected] and don’t forget to tune e
Hosted by
Todd Mizener